


Just This Once

by caprivana



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Beach Day, Beach Volleyball, Dean - Freeform, Dean Winchester - Freeform, Did I mention fluff?, Domestic, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, I'll stop with these weird ass tags now, M/M, Memories, Sam - Freeform, Sam Winchester - Freeform, Seashells, Vacation, Very fluffy, also mild destiel just FYI, cRY WITH ME PLEASE, castiel - Freeform, cute otps, domestic-ish, eileen leahy - Freeform, idek why I wrote this I guess it's so I can sleep a little better at night, let them all be happy thank you, lots of fluff, saileen has sAILED, sand, taking pictures, the winchesters getting a taste of normal life, what even are tags?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-29 06:49:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10848675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caprivana/pseuds/caprivana
Summary: It's early on a Saturday morning, and Sam comes up with the sudden idea of having an  "off day", but Dean immediately shuts down the idea. However, after a little persuading- the two brothers end up packing away an icebox full of cold beer into the trunk of the Impala for their one day vaca. And of course... they can't forget to invite two of their friends to join them.(Sorry the summary sucks so much. Hopefully this one-shot ends up being better than what it sounds like from that. ^)This idea was spurred on by some fangirling I had with @samulet.mp4 on Instagram, so thank them. ;' )





	Just This Once

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I haven't done a one-shot in a while, and I've never done a SamxEileen fic before, so I hope you feel like I portrayed them correctly. : ) Don't forget to leave kudos if you liked this! I love getting feedback.
> 
> <3 caprivana

A plethora of lore books were scattered all over the wooden surface of the table that the two brothers were sitting at, and one of the books was laying patiently in Sam's large hand. The younger Winchester broke their long silence with an exclamation that sent Dean's eyes rolling.

"We need a break."

Dean stared at Sam in disbelief, replying with firm stances on why they couldn't just take a day off. After nearly ten minutes of arguing about how they don't know what fun even means and how they never get to relax, Dean still didn't seem too for it. But with a little more of Sam's insisting- the older Winchester was finally convinced that the two of them should catch their breath. After all, Dean knew Sam was right. They wouldn't get anything done on this case if they spent all of their time running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

It was Dean's idea to invite Cas to come along, despite not really knowing the angel's current schedule or whether he even wanted to join them. After talking on the phone with the blue-eyed man and hearing about how his brothers and sisters were giving him crippling stress, he agreed to go with them on their trip. It was  _also_ Dean's idea that Sam invite Eileen, which made the younger Winchester smile. Dean respected Eileen a lot, and he definitely knew Sam liked her. She was brave, spunky, an amazing hunter, and seemed to fit in well with the two Winchesters. When it came down to it Dean simply wanted his little brother to be happy, and Dean knew Eileen made Sam exactly that.

After stocking up on bottles of beer and waiting for Cas and Eileen to arrive at the bunker, the four packed into the Impala and headed on the road.

* * *

 Cas questioned why they were driving, insisting that he could teleport all of them and conserve gas- but Dean explained that it was supposed to be a "road" trip, and that teleporting would ruin the vibe.

Dean pulled over at a gas n sip on the way so that he and Sam could get some things to take with them. A little less than half an hour later the two brothers came out of the store with bags of snacks and other items in tow. Then it was time to head off to the beach.

Neither Dean nor Sam had ever had the pleasure of sticking their toes in the sand, and they were going to relish every moment of it.

Dean and Sam rode in their usual seats, and Cas and Eileen both sat in the back together. The drive up to the beach was fairly quiet, but thankfully- it wasn't an awkward silence. The Impala's radio crackled with old rock music, and it seemed to settle everyone's tense nerves about the thought of not doing their job for an entire day. Once the horizon was finally in view over top of the shimmering sea water and miles of sand Dean smirked softly. The tires of the Impala ran over a mix of the sand and gravel down the path to the shore, and the elder Winchester parked on the beach. All of them stared out at the ocean for a few moments before Sam opened his car door, causing the whole group to exit the car as well.

Gulls cried overhead as the few walked across the sand, their shoes kicking up loose grains of soil and letting it fly into the wind. The beach was surprisingly empty despite a couple other groups of people, and all of the hunters (including an angel) seemed to silently agree that it was a good thing. Dean picked them out a place to set up their little camp and Sam and Eileen helped him unpack their things. Cas instantly began to walk toward the shore, but did take a moment to remove his two unnecessary top layers as well as his dress shoes and socks- rolling up the sleeves of his button up and the legs of his slacks before walking any closer to the water. It seemed like Cas might want to be left alone for a while, which nobody judged him for. Dean glanced behind himself at Cas in a small fit of curiosity as he pulled a beer out of the icebox. He was just going to pop the cap off when Sam got his attention.

The younger man spotted a volleyball net not too far away from where they were camped out as well as an abandon ball sitting in the sand near it. He offered Dean and Eileen to play, and soon enough, the three strode over to the net- boots and socks being shed along the way. After playing for a while Sam interestingly enough found out that Eileen was better at volleyball than Dean and himself combined. Sam immediately said he was on Eileen's side when she made the first serve that Dean couldn't fathom hitting back over the net. Laughs could hardly be heard over the sounds of the waves, but smiles that all three of them shared spoke loud enough. The salty wind whipped at all of their faces and blew Sam's hair around into a hot mess, which Eileen of course found amusing. She laughed at him.

"You should probably invest in a hair-tie."

Dean then insisted that this was just another reason for Sam to get a haircut. Sam laughed at them and shook the comments off, giving Eileen a small smile. After plenty of diving into the sand for saves and shading their eyes from the sun, the three decided they were done with sports.

They headed closer to the shore.

Dean glanced down the edge of the water to find Cas standing in the shallow waves, the crashing of them against his shins not even seeming to faze the man. The angel stared out at the water, eyes squinting with the sun shining on his face. Dean felt like he never knew what was going through that blue-eyed man's head. No surprise if Cas had been standing there like that the entire time Dean was playing volleyball with Sam and Eileen, simply thinking. He just seemed odd enough. Once Dean rolled up his jeans, the freckled Winchester made his way closer to the water while Sam and Eileen began walking side by side along the shore.

Never in his life had Dean gotten the chance to build a sandcastle. It was either now or never in his opinion.

Dean started off trying to stick close to the water, taking handfuls of the wet sand to stack it onto itself in a large pile. However, his method of building wasn't well-thought and it resulted in his creation repeatedly getting destroyed by the waves that rushed past his ankles. Somewhere in between Dean's frustrated bickering and the sounds of the ocean mocking him, Cas appeared next to him and offered to help. Dean eyed Cas curiously, but didn't deny the offer. 

Cas explained to Dean that he needed to work further away from the shore so that the waves wouldn't rise near the sandcastle, to which Dean's brows rose in surprise.

Who knew an angel would know so much about building sandcastles?

Cas demonstrated his method of stacking the sand, and Dean got the hang of it fairly quickly. The angel then left him to work by himself while he walked along the shore for seashells to decorate the finished project with. He made sure to look for the ones that weren't broken and weren't too big or too small. Dean turned and eyed Cas as he walked along the sand, seeing how some of it stuck to the bottom of the angel's damp feet. Cas was usually so stern and serious, so seeing his best friend doing something that was ordinary and normal warmed Dean's heart. He couldn't suppress a smile.

* * *

Sam and Eileen walked down the shore for a while, comfortably strolling in the relaxing sounds that the beach provided.

They didn't speak very much. Mostly just enjoyed the comfort of each others' company. Although, Sam did take time to ask how Ireland was, and if she missed being there. She told him that it's definitely home to her, but she'd rather move on to somewhere else. Ever since she avenged her parents' deaths by killing the banshee that caused her to become deaf, Eileen explained that there wasn't much left for her there except dark memories. Sam couldn't stop thinking about Eileen possibly staying in the United States and helping him and Dean with more cases, or maybe even staying in the bunker like Cas once did. There were plenty of spare rooms. Sam would never complain about Eileen staying so close. He liked her, and always worried about her when she wasn't around.

A flash of brown to their left caused both of the hunters to turn their heads in surprise. A chocolate lab sprinted past them and across to the shore, frolicking in the waves. Moments later a couple passed by them- chasing the dog and laughing. Sam smiled at them and then glanced down at Eileen, whose gaze was still turned toward the man, woman, and their dog. She was smiling as well. Sam bit the inside of his lip and smiled a little wider, cheeks sightly tinting pink. He'd pay it off like it was a mild sunburn.

The two of them walked for what felt like hours, but it was most likely just minutes. The sun was beginning to move lower in the sky, and the clouds were taking on a yellow tint. Sam glanced down at Eileen like he had earlier. He noticed how she stared out at the ocean with a glint of sorrow in her eyes. When she turned and noticed Sam had been looking at her, she ducked her head in embarrassment. Eileen stated that she wished she could do this more often. Just feel normal. Sam gave an understanding nod.

"Me too."

Soon, Eileen's eyes grew sad once more. Sam hated seeing her so down. She was usually so spunky and full of joy. Their hands brushed and Sam hesitantly reached for Eileen's- his fingers softly locking with hers. She looked up at him- seeming to be a bit surprised, but she didn't pull away. Eileen smiled softly at Sam, and he returned the small gesture. She laid her head on Sam's upper arm as they continued along the sand in stride with one another.

* * *

Cas made his way back over to Dean with plenty of seashells for the sandcastle. Dean glanced up from his sand-sculpture and smirked softly at Cas, noting that he probably brought enough shells for at least 5 sandcastles. Cas rolled his eyes and knelt beside Dean, laying out the shells onto the sand. The angel explained that he only brought so many because he wasn't sure which ones Dean would like to use on the castle, which Dean simply shrugged at- replying that he wasn't very picky as far as seashells went. Dean scooped up a few seashells into his palm, and- one by one- pressed them into the sides of his clumpy towers. The freckled man then offered Cas to help him decorate it, and the angel awkwardly hesitated for a moment before joining him. Within a few minutes the creation was complete.

Dean stood from his aching knees and stepped back to admire their work. He had his hands on his hips as he grinned down at the sandcastle. Dean patted Cas on the shoulder, causing the angel to look in his direction. Dean questioned with a chuckle.

"Isn't she beautiful?"

Cas smiled softly at the Winchester and replied in agreement. Even if the castle was a little lumpy and lop-sided, Dean had made it himself. And to Cas- that was definitely beautiful. Dean glanced over at the ocean and noticed that the tides were rising. His eyes widened and he ran back toward their small camp to grab his cellphone. He handed it to Cas, telling him to take a picture. Dean then scrambled to crouch down next to his creation, posing with his thumbs up and waiting for Cas to snap a pic. The angel took a few and then let his hands fall, silently telling Dean he could stand back up. The Winchester grinned and made his way over to Cas, standing close next to him and shielding the sunlight from the screen so he could see. Dean chuckled softly and thanked him.

Castiel didn't need a picture, but Dean took his phone and motioned for Cas to get behind him to take one. Cas stood behind Dean and saw as the man lifted his phone slightly above them both, smiling and snapping some photos of them. Dean lowered his hand and let the angel look at the ones he had taken. They both agreed that the one with the seagull caught in the background was their favorite. He sent the picture to Cas so he could have it for himself.

* * *

Time passed by swiftly. The sun was pressed against the horizon, sky turned orange and pink.

The four made their way back to their little camp out and had a few beers. The rest of their time was spent sitting on their towels in the sand and enjoying time together. After a while the sky grew darker. The four of them stood, gathering shoes and socks and other discarded clothing. They packed away their things and headed back to the Impala, loading it into the trunk and piling into the seats. Dean didn't bother warning them about getting sand in his car, because he knew that was simply unavoidable. In a way he almost  _wanted_ the sand there, as a small reminder that they took this trip. Just like the Lego pieces and the green army men stuck in the air vents and side doors of the car- small mementos of the past for the two brothers to take with them.

This was their first trip to the beach, and likely their last one- but the memories they shared and made there will last them a lifetime.

They'll give them a reason to carry on.


End file.
